About Dr. Lesley Rivera
More Than a Pelvic Floor Specialist
I became a pelvic health specialist because I lived the frustration my patients live. My own postpartum experience changed everything about how I practice.
My Journey
How I Got Here
The path from orthopedic PT to pelvic health specialist wasn't planned. It was personal.
I started my career in orthopedic physical therapy, working with patients who had chronic conditions, post-surgical recoveries, and persistent pain. I loved the problem-solving side of it — figuring out why someone wasn't getting better when they'd already tried everything else. But the more patients I treated, the more I noticed something: the pelvic floor kept showing up. Low back pain that wouldn't resolve. Hip issues with no clear cause. Patients who'd been through rounds of treatment without anyone looking at the full picture.
Then I had my own children, and everything clicked. I experienced firsthand the frustration, the embarrassment, and the feeling of being told that what I was going through was "just normal." It wasn't normal. It was treatable. And the fact that so many women were being told otherwise — that made me angry in the best possible way.
The decision to specialize in pelvic health was an easy one. My background as a dancer and triathlete gave me a deep understanding of what the body is capable of — and what it feels like when your body stops cooperating. I brought that into my practice. Not just the clinical expertise, but the lived experience of knowing how isolating it feels when something is wrong and no one can explain why.
When I'm not at the clinic, you'll find me camping with my family, working on a glass art project, playing piano with my kids, or out in the garden. I hike when I can, and I still make time for the things that keep me connected to my own body. I think that matters — understanding recovery isn't just a clinical concept for me. It's something I practice every day.
How I Practice
My Philosophy of Care
Every patient deserves a provider who listens first and treats the whole person — not just the diagnosis.
Manual Therapy First
I start with hands-on work because feeling better fast creates hope — and hope is what keeps patients coming back to finish the job. Manual therapy gives me the clinical data I need to build your plan, and it gives you the relief you need to believe things can change.
Collaborative, Not Prescriptive
I bring the clinical knowledge; you bring the lived experience in your body. We build your treatment plan together — not from a textbook, not from a protocol sheet. You know what your body feels. I know why it feels that way. That's how real progress happens.
The Whole Picture
Your jaw, your back, your tailbone, and your pelvic floor are more connected than most providers realize. I treat TMJ, low back pain, chronic pelvic pain, and postpartum issues — not as separate problems, but as parts of the same story your body is telling.
The Space
What the Clinic Feels Like
Your environment matters. Protea PT was designed around one question: what would make a nervous first-time patient feel at ease?
Private Treatment Rooms
No shared spaces, no overhearing conversations from the next table. Your session happens behind a closed door — because pelvic health deserves privacy, not a curtain.
Full Hour, One-on-One
Every session is 60 minutes with me. No aides, no handoffs, no splitting attention between patients. You get my full focus from start to finish, every single visit.
Real Equipment
Pilates reformer, space for jogging and functional movement, yoga setups, and everything needed for a full progressive program — not just a treatment table and a resistance band.
Designed to Feel Safe
The clinic was built to lower the barrier, not raise it. A calm, welcoming space that reduces fear — because walking through the door is already the hardest part.
You Deserve a Provider Who Actually Listens.
If you've been dismissed, talked over, or told to just live with it — I'd love to show you what real care feels like. One visit is all it takes.
Anaheim Hills, CA · One hour. One-on-one. The care you've been looking for.